SRRT

September 20, 2012

If you’ve ever met the members of the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT), you know what an easy-going, fun group of guys they are. I always look forward to spending time with them at the track.

A weekend in California isn’t complete without Cali-style hair. Thanks to team member Steve, SRRT had a new look. Most of the crew tried it on – even team principal Joe Aquilante.

Of course, it’s easy for them to be light-spirited when the #35 WRX STI is running well. That weekend it was strong during all practices. It ran in the top few spots each time out, consistent with the pace the team has been running all season long.

But when it came down to business, the boys were ready for the challenge.

Lead-off driver Bret Spaude qualified the car in 10th. A decent place to start, but with 60 cars between the two classes on the 2-plus-mile course, this would no doubt be an action-packed race.

Contact began before the green flag dropped and continued non-stop until the last lap. Contact was so constant that the majority of the race was run under yellow (11 full-course yellows resulting in 39 of 71 laps under yellow), and few cars escaped with minimal damage, let alone with their bumpers intact.

After a less than perfect pit stop past the mid-way point of the race, Andrew Aquilante did what we does best and worked his way to the front of the pack. An end-of-the-race penalty for the leaders left the #35 WRX STI in 2nd, positioned to fight for the lead.

Heading into the hairpin at the beginning of the white-flag lap, Aquilante made contact with the bumperless lead car. Immediately flames shot from beneath the Subaru, but ever-hopeful Aquilante thought he could finish that last lap.

With fluids spilling and threatening far more damage to the WRX STI, Aquilante pulled to the side after turn 3. Physically unhurt, he emerged from the smoldering vehicle.

As the #35 was flat-bedded back to the garage, adrenaline was still running high with the team. They were so close to another victory. Team spirit and focus then turned to the next event.

Final race of the season is September 29, 2012, at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. Going into this final race, SRRT sits in 10th place.

Click here to view more images of SRRT in the Continental Tires Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

– Melissa Carlson

Do you have images from a 2012 Subaru Road Racing Team event? Submit your photo for an opportunity to be published in Drive Performance magazine. Click here to view complete rules and to enter.

1 Accident, 2 Rear differential, 3 Broken suspension

SUBARU ROAD RACING TEAM CHALLENGES TO THE CHECKERS AT THE PENULTIMATE ROUND OF GRAND-AM CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE

Team Press Release

Phoenixville, PA. – Sept. 8, 2012 – It was a mixed race weekend for the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) which showed strong promise after a run up to 2nd place by the last lap but ultimately resulted in a 15th place finish at the race’s end.

The suburban Philadelphia-based team traveled cross-country to the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., for the season’s next-to-last round of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge professional road racing series.

The final race results show team drivers Bret Spaude and Andrew “AJ” Aquilante finished 15th in the 26-car Grand Sports Class with their #35 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, one lap down to the eventual winner. But a moment before the final tally was taken and on the final lap, Aquilante had been harrying the race leader for the win, and was right on the rear bumper of the lead car.

"The story of this race will always be about our cool-headed, experienced pit crew as we executed a seamless final pit stop where we topped up on fuel to make a late race charge for the lead,” said Phoenix Performance team owner Joe Aquilante. “On an earlier [pit] stop, we burned precious time as another team’s car inadvertently blocked the entrance to our pit box.”

“The race had 11 full-course-caution flag situations. The safety car was used to control the field for an amazing 39 of the race’s 71 laps. That’s an awful lot of safety car time, and each one of them forces you to constantly recalculate pit stop strategies.”

The Subaru Road Racing Team entry took the green flag from 10th place in qualifying, with Bret Spaude successfully avoiding problems caused by fellow competitors during his 17 laps at the controls of his #35 Subaru Road Racing Team WRX STI.

SRRT teammate AJ Aquilante slotted into the car as Spaude pitted, while circulating in a solid 7th spot. The tactics for the day were dictated when mishaps caused the safety car to lead the field nine of the first 17 laps.

“AJ made some good passes toward the end to move from 10th to second in 10 laps, but then things went awry. There was no reason to believe he couldn’t have passed the race leader, John Edwards, for the win. But by that point in the race, Edwards had already been hit in the rear and his car had lost its rear bumper. Moreover, though, John’s brake lights weren’t operational. Brake lights are a mandatory within GRAND-AM’s safety rules,” added Joe Aquilante.

“With a win in sight, AJ tapped the leader’s car from behind while initiating the pass, but John’s exposed rear bumper structure tore through our car’s radiator, causing both a coolant and oil leak plus perhaps a small oil fire. Half a lap from a potential win, and suddenly we’re 36th overall, 10th in class, and a lap down.”

“Our team made the most from a race fraught with laps run 11 times and 39 of 71 laps under full-course yellow conditions,” added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “We came very close to putting our #35 Subaru WRX STI on the top podium step, and we’re carrying a healthy level of confidence going into the last round of the series at Lime Rock Park in a two weeks.”

The Laguna Seca Raceway event was televised by SPEED TV and will be aired both Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m. ET, and Sept. 17 at 2:00 a.m. ET.

The season’s final race will be at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT, on Sept. 28-29. Practice and qualifying will be Friday the 28th and the race Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

September 11, 2012

I'm a huge Indy fan -- of the old school, some would say. My passion for the place and its 500-mile race at the end of May began when I was somewhere between 5 and 9 years old. Every Memorial Day, my family would listen to the race on the radio. The race would be on no matter what we did -- one of my family's rituals.

I was in my early 30s when I first visited the track. It was mid-May, and qualifying was under way for the big race. The cars were out for practice when I drove under the track in the tunnel between turns 1 and 2. One race car passed overhead, and I could smell the fuel. At that time, I had been away from racing for a couple years, and I had assumed that I had outgrown it.

Not so -- by a long shot! That day -- passing under the track with that one car on it -- was a turning point in my life. On that day, I committed to attending every race I could, of every type -- especially open wheel. Since that day, I've gone to all sorts of championship (Indy) car, sprint car, midget car, sports car, NASCAR(R), etc. races, and, a few years later, I became an automotive writer.

For more than 10 years from the late 1970s into the 1990s, I went to the Indy 500 every year. In the early 2000s, I saw the first two Formula 1TM races at Indy.

But I haven't been able to return since then -- until July 6. Later in the month, there was a "super" weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). It included NASCAR and GRAND-AM series races, and Subaru was at the track July 6 and 7 for practice.

Driving into the speedway on July 6, I used the same entrance -- the same tunnel. There were no cars on track, but the same feeling I had more than 30 years ago washed over me. I'm awed by the track's history -- much of which I've followed ardently. I'm awed by its immense size. And I'm awed by the spirits of drivers past that are part of the place.

All of July 6th, I photographed around the infield of the track, which is still new to me, even though it has been there more than 10 years. For the second practice on July 7th, I shot from the pits. Walking onto pit lane and seeing the yard of bricks at the start/finish line took my breath away. Another team member had told me it would.

I'm not alone in my reverence for the speedway. Others among the teams and officials echoed similar sentiments.

Seeing a Subaru speeding from south to north on Indy's front straight seemed completely out of context after hearing and seeing so many open-wheel cars of different types racing the other direction for so many decades.

But I was ecstatic that Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) was there for a run at the end of the month.

Race Day -- July 28, 2012

I returned to IMS with the team three weeks later for the GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge -- hoping for cooler weather. It wasn't as hot -- approximately 15 degrees cooler than the practice days. SRRT had a packed day -- a one-hour practice, followed immediately by qualifying, fan walk at noon, and then the two-and-a-half-hour race at 1:00 p.m.

SRRT qualified 16th.

SRRT faced humidity, drivetrain issues caused by heat, close contact racing of the GRAND-AM style, and a lightning storm with heavy rain -- so heavy that GRAND-AM stopped the event until deep water cleared from parts of the track.

Even as the race ended with SRRT in 11th, the team had to deal with another storm rolling through the area.

July 05, 2012

Even though a spin and contact caused by fluids from another car's blown engine prematurely ended Subaru Road Racing Team's day in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Road America, a number of Subaru-related encounters helped to perk up the weekend. (See Road America gallery here.)

I met the owner of a very clean 2002 WRX who was camping in the Carousel. It was one of the earliest models to hit American shores. The owner learned about the WRX coming to the United States from a tour put on by Subaru at that time, and then he followed up by playing video games that featured the WRX. This was one of the ways that customers learned about the WRX. We refer to this phenomenon in an article about video games in the latest issue of the Subaru owner magazine Drive.

Another Subaru owner in the same camping area wishes he still had his first one. He's owned seven of them. His current family Subaru is approximately 10 years old and has 170,000 miles on the odometer. He wants to get a new one so he can leave his fishing equipment in the one he has (which he'll keep).

A WRX STI owner (T REX plates) who works at Road America stopped me to ask if the magazine still had the Drive Performance WRX. He wanted to see the performance parts and accessories on the car so that he could decide which ones he would put on his. I remembered his email to the magazine, which was sent just a couple days after we turned in the car. Timing is everything.

A BRZ in the Subaru parking area had a #35 and Subaru Road Racing Team on its sides. Hmmm.

June 11, 2012

Right now, we're in the middle of the motorsports year for Subaru. Subaru Road Racing Team ran in the two-and-a-half-hour GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course south of Mansfield, Ohio, on Saturday, June 9. Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRXT) took on the competition in Round 2 of the Global Rallycross Championship at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on the same day.

Another event for Subaru enthusiasts that took place the same weekend was Wicked Big Meet, held at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. The Drive Performance WRX was there.

Drive Performance staff members traveled to each of these events.

The full June weekend followed SPRXT's debut in Round 1 of the Global RallyCross Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, two weekends ago on May 26. Subaru entered three cars -- for Dave Mirra, Bucky Lasek, and Sverre Isachsen. Here is the team's report on the Subaru rally site, and here is another report on the Vermont SportsCar site. Find videos on both, which give you a good idea of the explosive nature of rallycross -- elimination heats on a short course that demand tremendous power and precise control.

The first weekend of June, Subaru Rally Team USA fought a furious battle at Susquehannock Trail Rally (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania) to overcome mechanical difficulties and place 2nd. Read about it on the Vermont SportsCar site here and on the Subaru rally site here. Ride along with driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew on YouTube.

Notes from Charlotte

Attending Round 1 of the Global RallyCross Championship in Charlotte was my first visit to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. My first reaction was surprise at the activity: two NASCAR races (Nationwide and Sprint Cup), a World of Outlaws sprint car race, and rallycross. There were thousands of RVs, campers, and tents.

Plus, there were was food. Vendors were everywhere, as were people who had been camping out for days.

But what I felt early in the morning of the rallycross was the energy around the speedway. Campers were cooking or grilling by 7:00 a.m. -- sending small columns of smoke and smells into the air. From a distance, it was like the encampment pictures from the Civil War. The number of campers and RVs is staggering. They're packed into the infield and in surrounding sites.

Racer transports were lined up side by side, as they are at most tracks. Generator engines hummed and moaned, and racing engines sparked to life sporadically, even hours before track activities. I sat in a bowl formed by multicolored seats -- some in patterns and some demarking specific sections.

June 04, 2012

Over the weekend, I watched television coverage of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at New Jersey Motorsports Park from May 12. In it, the Subaru Road Racing Team #35 WRX STI received considerable coverage. Congratulations, team, on the first win with the WRX STI. It was a long time coming with enough obstacles to make those less committed walk away.

During the race, the team had to overcome a penalty on pit road that put them behind the pack of cars in its class. Being out along the track during a race, I often have no clue what's happening and why the Subaru is where it is. In this case, positions could be counted, and upon one of the restarts after a full-course yellow, we were running approximately 12th. As I photographed #35, I kept count as to where it was in line.

The car kept moving up. Driver Andrew Aquilante seemed to be on a mission, and that mission was to reach the front of the field. He had to work his way past those 11 cars ahead of him. Watching him move to the front was some of the most exciting racing I've ever seen, and it's too bad the television crew couldn't remain on that #35.

Here are images of #35 moving past some of the competitors:

Passing #99

Passing #6

Passing #00

Passing #38

The passes for 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place were better documented on TV race coverage:

Here is the team's press release about the race:

Aquilante And Spaude “Storm” New Jersey Track, Subaru Team Wins on Home Turf.

Although the team qualified on the pole position, Aquilante, Spaude, and their race-prepared #35 Subaru WRX STI, had to charge through the field from 45th place on lap 31, after serving stop-and-go penalties.

Intent on making up for the lost track positions Aquilante marched forward and took the race lead with nine laps to go; and eventually secured the win by a 2.224-second margin. It was the team’s second straight podium finish this season and their first Grand Sport class win in the Subaru WRX STI sedan.

“This win has been coming for a long time,” said Joe Aquilante, owner of Phoenix Performance in Phoenixville, Pa., which prepares the team’s Subaru racecars. “The Subaru excels on track configurations that reward superior handling qualities over outright top speed.”

Bret Spaude, of Bushnell, Fla., earned his first CTSCC series pole position with a 91.373mph lap of the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway configuration of the multi-faceted racetrack. Spaude dropped back to second place at the start and held that position, staying close to the bumper of Lawson Aschenbach’s race-leading car. On lap 25, Spaude pitted for gas, fresh tires, and turned the driving over to teammate Andrew “AJ” Aquilante.

A stop-and-go penalty plus an additional 30 seconds for accidental contact with a neighboring team’s spare tire on the way out of the pit box dropped the team to 45th place. Aquilante went on a determined charge; he was in fourth place by lap 56 when the team called him in for a final pit stop, dropping the Subaru Road Racing Team entry to 12th place after pit out.

On lap 70, Aquilante passed David Donohue for third place, drove by second place Eric Curran on lap 73, and took the race lead on lap 75 as he erased a quarter-second deficit to race leader Charles Espenlaub. Aquilante finished the 83rd and checkered flag lap with a 2.224-second margin over Espenlaub and the rest of the 23-car Grand Sport class, which was part of a 59-car, two-class field.

“I dug myself a hole, when I incurred those pit lane infractions, and just had to drive my way out of it,” Andrew Aquilante explained. “I know we have a great car, and when things like that happen, you just have to stay cool, put your head down and drive the wheels off. Our Subaru WRX STI was running strong all weekend, the handling was superb, and we know this track really well since it’s where we perform most of our on-track testing.”

“To finish on top in completely dry conditions and re-starting after serving our penalties truly shows the performance development from our Subaru WRX STI,” commented James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “Our Subaru core technologies, including the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, were firmly on display this weekend. Plus, securing the win in front of our fans at our home track of New Jersey Motorsports Park, where Subaru is the Official Automobile and Pace Car, made this result that much more special.”

The race-prepared #35 Subaru Road Racing Team WRX STI is developed to compete against rival teams fielding cars producing over 400 horsepower.

The next GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race is June 8 – 10 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where the SRRT has won in prior years.

About Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.

May 09, 2012

On April 24, warm, sunny weather greeted the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the third round of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) season.

Through two days of practice, the #35 Subaru WRX STI ran strongly each session, consistently putting out top-five times. Even some mechanical issues couldn’t keep this team back; they were ready for battle.

Out for the qualifying session, Bret Spaude turned his quickest laps of the weekend. At the end of the 15-minute session, the Bushnell, Florida, native had posted the second fastest qualifying time, placing the blue #35 on the front row for start of the race.

After tech inspection, the #35 team was awarded the pole position, and Spaude walked away with the CTSCC Grand Sport class qualifying record.

Race day began with overcast skies for the final practice session. The team pulled out of the session early, that day’s sign that the Subaru was perfect – and ready to rumble!

A few hours before the scheduled start, the rain began. A heavy downpour soaked everything and everyone. As #35 took the green flag, the rain still sputtered down, but the wet track worked for Spaude as he opened up a lead over the competitors.

The rain soon stopped completely, and the cars dried up the track, minimizing the all-wheel drive advantage of the Subaru. An early pit stop to change tires put Spaude back to 10th, and the driver change brought Andrew Aquilante out of the pits at the back of the pack.

Known for skilled and aggressive driving, Aquilante worked his way back to the front of the pack. With many teams still needing to pit to do the required driver change, much of the competition ended up behind Aquilante and out of his way. He worked his way up inside the top 10. With the help of several yellow flags bunching up the field, Andrew was inside the top five with about 15 minutes to go. But he still had more. With three laps to go, Andrew passed for fourth place, and on the last lap Aquilante took away the third, placing the team on the podium.

February 22, 2012

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) and Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) both have made promising starts to their 2012 racing seasons -- SRT USA in the Sno*Drift Rally in Michigan and SRRT at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

SRT USA

Driver David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew have returned to defend their Rally America National Championship in stage rally. The team's first event took place the last weekend in January, when Higgins/Drew began the season with a dominating win.

Read about SRT USA at Sno*Drift here, where you can link to the team's video about the event!

The next round of the Rally America National Championship takes place in Missouri February 24-25, 2012. We'll be attending in one of the last trips in the Drive Performance WRX.

SRT USA Performance in the 2012 Rally America National Championship

Round/Date

Event/ Location

Driver

Finishing Position

Driver Standings

Round 1 – January 27-28

Sno*Drift Rally

Atlanta, Michigan

David Higgins

1

1

SRRT

As part of a 40-car starting field at Daytona International Speedway, SRRT placed well in practice and on the starting grid. Starting 7th, drivers Bret Spaude and Andrew Aquilante took the #35 WRX STI as high as 3rd. The race ended with an on-track incident on the last lap that knocked the team to 28th.

The next round for SRRT in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, March 30-31, 2012. We'll be attending that race in the Drive Performance WRX's final round trip out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the magazine. Watch for us!

Veteran driver Don Knowles has been recognized by the Road Racing Drivers Club with its top motorsports award as a driver who best exemplifies the qualities and characteristics that the late legendary sports car driver Bob Akin represented. These include "... a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing." (From the RRDC press release of January 26, 2012.)

October 14, 2011

The Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) ran its last race of the 2011 season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

A key aspect of this track is staying in control and not getting caught up in a wreck. During the 15 minutes of qualifying, I watched most of the cars take turn 9 at the north end of the track on three wheels. At least four different cars lost their handling and barreled through the gravel straight for the outside fence.

This track has tire barriers in front of many of the concrete walls and guard rail sections, but walking the track I could see spots where the guard rails had been bent from hard contact.

The drivers ran strong practice sessions, and Bret Spaude qualified the #35 WRX STI in 15th place. The race began with a caution. A total of seven race cautions collected many cars and eliminated some from a series title.

I was asked by a fan where to watch the race from. Being my first time to the track, I could only point them to the spot I had just came from, the Esses.

Spin outs, a blown engine with a fire, and nose-to-tail racing added plenty of excitement to this season finisher.

We asked Phillip Ly, a first time attendee at a Subaru Road Racing Team event to comment on what he experienced, “I had a blast,” he said. “The guys in the pits were very friendly and encouraged me to get close to the action.”

A well-timed pit stop put #35 out front for 8 laps. The #35 WRX STI went in for another pit stop right before caution came out, moving the team to the back of the pack. Aggressive driving brought the Subaru back up through the field to finish 15th – a great team effort to end the season.

Almost anywhere in the United States that you might have been during the fourth weekend in July was suffering from heat. Crossing from the Midwest and into Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the Drive Performance WRX, heat held the high hand.

I stopped in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to meet with other members of the editorial staff at Subaru of America, Inc. headquarters. Then I checked in with the rebuilding the engine of the 1986 Subaru XT Coupe under restoration (reported in Summer 2011 Drive magazine). Afterward, I took a quick ride to Autobody Enterprises to find Hank Reynolds sanding the Coupe's body as another part of the restoration. Watch the Drive website for more images of this work in progress.

GRAND-AM doesn't wait at the track, so I headed southeast to Millville to catch up with Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT), which was preparing for practice at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Subaru-sponsored facility has two road courses -- Thunderbolt and Lightning -- that were laid out next door to the Millville airport. Known as America's First Defense Airport, it played a key role in training pilots in Thunderbolt fighters during World War II. The land on which the tracks were built has a bunker that had been used to align the sights of aircraft at that time. A fighter plane was on display there throughout the weekend.

Everyone at the track -- drivers, crew, officials, fans, photographers -- all had to deal with the same conditions. Temperatures ranged from the high 90s into triple digits, so water and sports drinks were sought out by everyone. SRRT put a white roof on the black #35 WRX STI to help hold down the temperature inside the car.

SRRT's practice times were credible -- always within striking distance of the fastest cars. Driver Bret Spaude had the third-fastest time in qualifying, but a minor rule infraction involving the turbocharger put #35 in the back of the Grand Sport Class field for the beginning of the race. Both drivers -- Spaude and Andrew Aquilante -- moved #35 up through the field. From trackside, it was easy to watch the progress until the GS Class cars began lapping ST Class cars.

Pit stops for SRRT and the leaders were out of sequence, and #35 moved up to as high as 4th.

With approximately an hour of the two-and-a-half hours to go, I was on the far side of the track. I thought I saw smoke coming from the back of the car. A couple laps later, I was almost certain that I had seen flames from underneath the car. Then #35 didn't come around again. So I started the long trek back to the paddock.

An oil fire put #35 out of the race.

So much for Round 9 of the 10 races to be run in the Continental Tire series for 2011. The remaining round is to take place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the weekend of September 16-18.

Notes from the Trip

Throughout the round trip to New Jersey, the Drive Performance WRX never missed a beat. It never seemed bothered by the heat as far as performance was concerned. But I think the heat affected mileage -- as did the 70-mile-per-hour speed limits on most of the highways that I traveled and the mountains through Pennsylvania.

Mileage ranged from 22.5 mpg to 27.0 mpg for the seven fill-ups. I'm reasonably sure the 22.5 tank included the three laps that I drove on the Thunderbolt course along with other Subaru owners. I'll post a video of that within the next couple of weeks.

July 20, 2011

West of Monterey, California, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a 2.238-mile track nestled in the mountains on 542 acres.

Although this track is not lengthy, it holds a few other challenges. The course starts out with the Andretti hairpin and boasts 11 turns through the course. The most technical is The Corkscrew. After driving an upward slope to 929 feet, the cars then descend with a 18 percent drop (109 feet) through The Corkscrew, which is the most famous part of the track. There are many parts of The Corkscrew where things can go wrong: miss any part of the first turn and you are in the sand. Drop in too quickly and you can spin out on either side of the middle section. Come out of The Corkscrew too loose or too quickly and the sand once again will collect you.

When most cars go off course at this track, they are stuck in sand pits and require assistance getting out. During practice, the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) #35 WRX STI Sedan, drove wide coming out of The Corkscrew in Turn 9 and went off into the sand. Skilled driving and the All-Wheel Drive of the Subaru pulled the car from being amongst those collected.

SRRT looked good through all the practices. They went out and posted the fastest lap to start out the qualifying session, which held up to place them in seventh to start the race. Overnight the team replaced the transmission and went out for practice the following morning with the third fastest lap. SRRT #35 was ready to challenge the other competitors.

Unfortunately, the team suffered some heavy damage from other competitors and had to retire from the race early.

SRRT brings an open and family atmosphere with them. I spent quite a bit of time talking with Jean Aquilante, wife of SRRT team principal Joe Aquilante. She told us how Joe first got into racing and how current SRRT driver Andrew Aquilante raced quarter midgets from the age of 10 until he outgrew that car.

Jean also said that within days of receiving the now-race-ready Subaru WRX STI Sedan, Andrew had that car completely taken apart. It is amazing how Andrew knows that car so intimately, and you can see the pride he takes in building the car. Read about his transformation of the #35 race car in Drive Performance Version 8.1 cover story.

The team tent is always a home away from home when covering a race with them.

July 07, 2011

Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) ran at Road America near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, a week ago. The four-mile track is located only two hours from home, so it was easy for my family to join me to experience road racing together.

On the first day, my stepson, Johnny, and son, Matt, set out in the cold rain to find SRRT in Road America's paddock. We walked in circles among the other team haulers and had no luck finding the Subaru team. Finally, after a hard downpour, we returned to the car for shelter. Although the #35 WRX STI would be on track soon, I couldn't take pictures in such a rain. After practice, we followed the car toward the team trailer.

We found the team hidden away with a few others. There were a lot of competitors at Road America for the weekend. I introduced the boys to team owner Joe Aquilante, and we checked out the #35 WRX STI Sedan and the work area.

After lunch, it was dry enough for photography. The boys spectated from Turn 5 for the second practice session of the day. The track has fencing around a lot of it, so getting shots without the fence takes some planning and considerable walking.

Practice the next morning resembled deer hunting in the woods. There were a lot of orange (photographers') vests visible through the trees. Matt assumed his usual position -- taking pictures from the fence behind me.

Later that day, the rest of my family -- my husband, Mark, my daughter, Madalyn, and my step-daughter, Lily -- joined the boys and me for the race weekend. Everyone put on their Drive Performance T-shirts, and we walked down to the main paddock area and the Subaru trailer.

Madalyn wondered what happened to all the stuff from inside the car. I explained that the team removes everything to make the car lighter and to make room for the roll cage.

Before each Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race, fans are allowed to walk pit lane, meet the drivers, and ask for autographs. The girls played bashful, but Lily wanted the Subaru drivers to sign her shirt. This was her very first time at a race, but she was getting the hang of it quickly.

SRRT's race took place late in the day, and one of the interesting aspects was viewing the cars driving at night. Following the headlights around the turns once it turned dark was a unique experience.

Spending time with the team made me feel like I was a part of it. The kids were just as excited for Subaru Road Racing Team. They even spoke of the car in terms of "we."

SRRT had its first top-10 finish of the 2011 season, coming in 6th place.

But we weren't done supporting Subaru teams for the weekend. After the road racing at Road America, Madalyn and I headed to Wautoma, Wisconsin, to follow the Subaru Trek Mountain Bike Team racing in the Subaru Cup. Read the journal from that event on the Subaru Drive magazine website here.

-- Melissa Carlson

P.S. One of the places I chose to shoot was the Sargento bridge, which has a natural association with Wisconsin -- cheese. During the race, I realized that only in Wisconsin would you most likely be able to find cheese and sausage bridges at the same venue.

This trip ended up to be a total immersion in Subaru Motorsports. Both SRRT and SRT USA were competing in racing events at venues less than 100 miles apart. SRRT's race in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge took place on Friday, and SRT USA's rally around Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, ran Friday and Saturday. Planning for the weekend made provisions to attend both events.

However, I hadn't prepared for a couple of twists that put me in touch with both teams more intensively than usual. SRRT's practice in preparation for qualifying on Thursday revealed an engine problem that required replacement. As a result, the team missed qualifying and would have the start from the back of the GS Class field in Friday's race.

The Ride of my Life

We had some free time following qualifying. Subaru Motorsports Manager James Han asked if I'd be interested in a media ride in one of SRT USA's rally cars. Why even ask?! SRRT team member Bill Spaude (grandfather of driver Bret Spaude) and I both joined Han at the RallyCar/Susquehannock Trail Rally practice stage south of Wellsboro, near Morris, Pennsylvania.

SRRT #35 had another problem in the morning practice on race day, so SRRT pulled out the backup car and entered it as #135.

Watkins Glen is a wonderful place for spectators, because you can witness high speeds as well as turns requiring good handling. The GRAND-AM series provides close racing. There were no surprises with #135. Drivers Bret Spaude and John Heinricy pulled up to mid-pack by the end of the two-and-a-half-hour race, which ended at dusk. SRRT's weekend proved a stalwart effort. (SRRT consultant Heinricy replaced Andrew Aquilante for two races while Aquilante healed from an accident he had suffered at another racing event.)

Find information about all of the SRRT's races in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on SRRT's website.

Meanwhile, further south, SRT USA's David Higgins/Craig Drew led the rally going into the final Super Special -- the last stage at the Tioga County Fairgrounds, which is near Wellsboro. The lead was only 2.5 seconds ahead of Antoine L'Estage/Nathalie Richard in 2nd.

Contrary to previous years, the fairgrounds was full of mud instead of dust. One lane of the Super Special was so muddy that the organizers stopped the runs going through it. L'Estage/Richard were quicker through the Super Special, but not quite enough. Higgins/Drew won the rally by 1.3 seconds -- the winner determined by the shortest stage in the rally.

I've come to terms with music in the DP WRX. Perhaps it would be more accurate to flip that thought and say that I've come to terms with my hearing. After traveling a few thousand miles with the Genuine Subaru Accessories 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer (made by Kicker(R)) installed, I don't focus on its bass notes anymore -- only to make sure it's playing. The other part of coming to terms with hearing ability is not being able to hear the high pitches that my son plays via a smartphone app; at least I can hear the bass notes.

The subwoofer definitely enriches the audio system's output, just as the performance exhaust system enhances any drive with engine music. Even though the two sets of sound sometimes crosses over each other, they enable the DP WRX to make a statement through the sense of sound.

Tail of the Dragon

This round trip originally was intended only to take me to VIR for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race in which Subaru Road Racing Team was competing. But I added to the itinerary after studying a map to see how close VIR is to Tail of the Dragon -- an amazing 11-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 129 in Tennessee that should be the mecca for any driving enthusiast.

Tail of the Dragon has 318 turns in its 11-mile span, and they're not for the faint of heart. The 30-mile-per-hour speed limit is too much for some of the turns -- the ones marked for 10 miles per hour, for instance.

This trip was all about weather. Through Indiana and Kentucky, temperatures ranged between the 70s (at night) and lower 90s, but once I reached the mountains in Virginia, lower temperatures and rain clouds dominated. What I had hoped to be a journey into early summer became chilly, rainy, early spring.

In the mountains of Virginia on Highway 58 -- one of my favorite portions of road to drive -- rain clouds were low enough to be fog.

Rain threatened during practices and for the race on Saturday. The Subaru team would have benefitted from it toward the end of the race, but it didn't fall until approximately half an hour after the checkered flag.

Later in the weekend, when setting up a video camera for the drive on Tail of the Dragon, threatening rain affected camera location. I had to mount it inside the cabin rather than on the hood.

You'd think that all of this would ruin the weekend. Instead, the overcast skies worked out well for photography, and there was enough grown grass that the mud could be avoided when tromping around VIR. The weather probably kept people away from Tail ofthe Dragon, leaving it more open for those of us who were there.

Notes from the Drive

Driving at Night

There's a wonderful children's book called Night Driving (by Peter McCarty) that's probably out of print now. One of my sons gave it to me because we had driven so many miles after midnight. The illustrations are in black and white, and the story is placed in the 1930s or 1940s, by the appearance of the vehicles. The story celebrates night driving for long distances.

I did some night driving again this trip, and it was wonderful. At a certain point in the night, you realize that you're one of only a few cars on the road. The other vehicles are mostly trucks, and there are few of them. Rarely are there traffic jams or crowded roads. If the moon is right, you have plenty of light beyond the headlamps, and landscapes can be surreal.

AM radio used to be excellent after midnight. You could pull in New York, Chicago, and someplace in Texas. The Texas station had the best music; that's the one on which I first heard "Big Joe and Phantom 309." Look it up.

Stalking DP WRX

I suppose the word stalking is a little strong. People aren't shy about approaching me concerning the DP WRX. One fellow followed me into a parking lot to ask if it was the car in the magazine. Another was picking up coffee at a fast-food place where I was eating breakfast one morning and found me because he had seen the car in the parking lot.

Beautiful Views

Interstate 64 across Kentucky has some beautiful scenery. If you have a chance, take a tour.

Dragon Pitt

If you drive the Tail of the Dragon and would like some good conversation, stop and see Dennis Dearing at the Dragon Pitt BBQ nine miles north of the stretch's north end, at the junction of Highways 129 and 72. After attacking the Dragon, one of Dearing's BBQ sandwiches tastes pretty good, and you can sit in the outdoor restaurant and watch other vehicles heading for the drive. Look it up at www.punkincenterinn.com.

The Drive Performance WRX was a different beast this trip. As noted in the March 25 Journal entry, we've added several new pieces to the car, and it makes a difference in how the car travels.

Most emphatic is the sound of the performance exhaust system. It grows from a low rumble at idle to a staccato baritone as the engine climbs the rpm range. In addition to the benefit of increased horsepower, it provides a constant audible reminder of the engine's potential.

Another addition contributing to the sounds emanating from DP WRX is the Genuine Subaru Accessory KICKER® subwoofer installed in the trunk. Music played through the audio system now benefits from richer bass with noticeable vibrations. The subwoofer adds to just about any type of music -- yes, including classical. (The beginning of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" takes on added dimensions.)

The new boost gauge reacts to engine and turbocharger operation, depending on how you drive. Increased throttle pedal and kicking in the turbo is reflected by the gauge.

Perhaps the most significant change was switching the snow tires for the original-equipment summer performance tires on the new O.Z. wheels. The Bridgestone BlizzakTM tires were as good for handling in the snow during the winter as these tires are for spring, summer, and fall months.

Notes from the Drive

As I traveled south from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Birmingham, Alabama, my thoughts went to layers and levels. (This is the type of thinking I do when I'm alone in a vehicle for long distances.)

It occurred to me that a lot of the things we encounter organize readily into levels. The seasons, for instance, and divisions in racing lend themselves to such categorization.

Seasons: When I left Milwaukee on April 5, I left piles of snow behind. Throughout the day, I drove into spring.

In Indianapolis, Indiana, the grass was green. Those of us who live in the upper Midwest haven't experienced that change yet this year.

In Louisville, Kentucky, the secondary tree level had blossoms and flowers.

The trees in Nashville, Tennessee, were budding.

Many of the trees in Birmingham, Alabama, had leaves. Of course, all the fun stuff like pollen is part of springtime, and the car had a green coating after sitting parked for any length of time.

Racing Divisions: GRAND-AM has four levels of racing. Since I spend a good amount of time with the series, I forget that everyone might not be aware of them. Two levels are in each GRAND-AM series: Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 (Daytona Prototypes and GT) and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (Grand Sport -- GS -- and Street Tuner -- ST). In descending order of performance, the levels sort out from Prototype to GT to GS to ST.

Barber Motorsports Park: The paddock at Barber has four levels. From bottom to top, they're quite a hike! This terraced scheme gives the park an opportunity to organize the race teams so fans can visit teams from the same series on the same level, rather than having to hike up and down between them.

Electrical Gremlins

SRRT did well during practice, qualifying, and the first part of the Barber 200 at Barber Motorsports Park. Drivers Bret Spaude and Andrew Aquilante put the #35 WRX STI in the top half of the field during practice sessions, then qualified 8th.

At one point during the race, pit-stop strategy and full-course cautions worked together to put #35 in 1st. The team held the lead for several laps before falling prey to an electrical glitch that required a tow to the pits during another caution period.

The start of the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge season has proven difficult for SRRT, which has two DNFs in the first three races.

The next race is at VIRginia International Raceway near Alton, Virginia, May 13-14. SRRT would love to have your support!

April 07, 2011

Subaru has announced that the world debut of the all-new Impreza 4-door and 5-door models will take place at the 2011 New York International Auto Show. The show is open to the public April 22 through May 1.

Hallmarks of the new Impreza include factory-estimated 36 miles per gallon (the highest fuel economy of any all-wheel-drive car on sale in the United States), a roomier interior, and improved levels of comfort and refinement.

Watch this website and www.subaru.com for more information as it becomes available.

Subaru Tecnica International to Compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a WRX STI Sedan

June is a busy month for Subaru. During the weekend of June 23-26, the Subaru performance arm Subaru Tecnica International (STI) will race its WRX STI tS on the daunting Nürburgring.

Specifics about the event, the track, and STI's WRX STI tS can be found in the official press release. Don't overlook the link to the car's specifications and parts at the bottom of the release.

Subaru Road Racing Team -- This Week!

This week, I travel to Barber Motorsports Park (Leeds, Alabama) in the Drive Performance WRX STI to join Subaru Road Racing Team for the GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge Barber 200. The race takes place Saturday, April 9 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

You may recall that Barber is the track where Andrew Aquilante and #35 WRX STI experienced a trip through the grass in turns 8 and 9 during in last year's race.

Subaru Rally Team USA at Global RallyCross Championship Round 1

Last week's journal entry gave us John Rettie's report on Global RallyCross Championship Round 1. Following is part of a press release from Subaru Rally Team USA about Round 1, which includes a link to a video.

(March 31, 2011) Debuting an all-new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra finished an impressive fourth overall in round one of the newly announced three-event Global RallyCross Championship in the debut event’s A-Main Final. The BMX icon and full time rally driver for Subaru enjoyed the first event of the new rallycross series which was held this weekend at California’s Irwindale Speedway and will be televised April 17th on ESPN2. The event featured a field of world class rally and rallycross drivers who raced wheel-to-wheel on a short action-packed course consisting of a mix of tarmac and dirt as well as a 70ft dirt gap jump. Mirra debuted a new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI specially prepared for rallycross competition.

“This was awesome, the course was fun and challenging but it was the wheel-to-wheel racing with a field of great drivers and cars that made it special,” explained Mirra. “My team just built a new Subaru meant just for rallycross and it’s a beast, an amazing machine. This new car is a lot different from our stage rally STI with many new components, so we have a lot of work and testing still to do. I’m really looking forward to the next rallycross where I hope we can battle for a podium spot.”

Mirra was slowed in the preliminary heat races with a rear suspension problem but his results were still sufficient to place him in the B-Main race where he finished in a close 2nd place. Mirra would have needed to win the B-Main to have advanced to the final race, the A-Main, but was advanced on to the A-Main via the ‘promoter’s option’ rule which enables the event promoter to add a 6th car behind the five-car main event grid. With just five short laps in the A-Main Mirra went on maximum attack and fought his way up to fourth overall, just short of a podium position. As a stipulation of reaching the A-Main via the promoter’s option Mirra will receive 6th place points.

“Dave [Mirra] adjusted quickly to his new rallycross car and drove an exceptional event to give Subaru a solid result upon which we can build”, added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “As this is a debut event for our current competition car, I’m confident that our Subaru WRX STI will be a regular contender for podium finishes with some further development and testing.”

Full race coverage will air April 17th on ESPN2 (check local listings). The series has a multi-year programming relationship with ESPN, with Global RallyCross Championship broadcasts slated to follow NASCAR Nationwide and NHRA shows on ESPN and ESPN2. Round two of the Global RallyCross Championship will be in the Seattle area April 15-16 at the Old Mill Rally Park near Seattle, Washington.

March 09, 2011

When you look at Subaru Road Racing Team's #35 WRX STI Sedan, you might think that it's a shell -- not an STI at all. In other types of racing, you might be right. The skin is made to look like one make of car or another, and those shells cover similar -- if not identical -- tube frames, engine, and chassis components.

That's not the case for cars that race in the GRAND-AM Grand Sport class with #35. Rather than a shell with an indeterminate running gear, #35 WRX STI has everything that is the heart of the original car. The race car is all that makes a WRX STI a WRX STI. The engine, transmission (with DCCD and SI-DRIVE), and the basics of the suspension are there, with some modifications. It may not be showroom stock, but it's still an STI!

The GRAND-AM GS and Street Tuner classes consist of race cars that still have their brand essences. So the heart and soul of a WRX STI competes with its equivalent Mustang, Camaro, BMW, Porsche, and so on. What you see is real, and so is the racing.

Last weekend, SRRT's WRX STI was driven against a field of 29 other GS Class cars in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. On the final score sheet, #35 did not finish. Despite that, SRRT had a solid weekend. Practice times showed Bret Spaude and Andrew Aquilante to be well in the top half of the cars in the GS class. Their 11th starting spot edged the top third.

Early in the race, SRRT brought #35 into the pits for small tweaks during the many full-course yellows for small adjustments. Despite falling back, Spaude and Aquilante brought back #35. They charged forward enough to promise a top-10 finish.

Then, with about an hour remaining in the 2.5-hour race, a transmission problem ended #35's day.

Every race demands hours and hours of preparation. That ritual is already under way for the next competition four weeks away. A racing team never sits still, especially between races. The car is not a static piece -- it's never finished. Rather, it's an evolution based on information derived from what has gone well and what has gone badly in previous events. As a result of applying what the team has learned from trying a new piece here, an altered setting there, a mistake in judgment, a previously unused test procedure, the application of computer analysis, and many more other lessons, the car matures. It becomes increasingly better.

This is a lot like the course of action set out by Mark Donohue in the book The Unfair Advantage, which was published in the mid-1970s. If you're a race fan, this book is a must-read!

February 09, 2011

To people from the Midwest, Florida tends to be typified by Disney World, oranges, beaches, and automobile racing. (I know there's a lot more to Florida than that, of course.)

Right now, for me, racing is top of mind.

During the January 7-9 weekend, Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) tested as part of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series at Daytona International Speedway. Then SRRT returned for the series' first race of the 2011 season January 28. Joining the team for the two weekends cannot be considered a hardship. Leaving single-digit temperatures for daytime highs in the 60s and 70s took little convincing This year's Rolex 24 at Daytona took place on Saturday and Sunday (January 29 and 30) with only fog disrupting it this year.

In another month, SRRT returns to Florida -- to Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead. In between the races during the Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend and the Homestead race, fans have a number of racing events from which to choose, including the Daytona 500, motorcycle racing, numerous short-track events around the state, and the 12-hour endurance race at Sebring.

For a race fan who dislikes the cold, these events make the Sunshine State doubly attractive.

SRRT did well in the GRAND-AM 200 at Daytona on January 28. Read the team's press release concerning the race here.

The last weekend in January was a double dip for Subaru Motorsports. While SRRT basked in the Florida sunshine, Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) traveled from Vermont to the northern part of lower Michigan, (around Atlanta) where winter maintained a frigid grip for the RallyCar National Championship in the Sno*Drift Rally event.

Actual (with side trips and daily commute from hotel to Daytona International Speedway) -- 1,348 miles

Major routes to Daytona International Speedway:

Wisconsin: Interstate 94

Illinois: Interstates 94, 294

Indiana: Interstates 94, 65, 74

Kentucky: Interstate 74

Tennessee, Georgia: Interstates 24, 75

Florida: Interstates 75, 10, 95

When the door where DP WRX is stored opened after several weeks without a trip, I smiled a large smile. I could feel the excitement that only travel can cause. Plus, the car now has unique identifying graphics and a distinct profile. It was ready to go, and so was I. Let's drive.

The journey from Milwaukee to Daytona was free of drama, split between a few hours Wednesday and a full day of driving on Thursday. There was no bad weather, but a major winter storm was threatening to follow me through the south a couple days later. It did.

Friday morning, after picking up photo credentials from the Daytona International Speedway offices, I joined SRRT in the track's paddock.

Let the 2011 season begin!

Test days give the teams the opportunity to prove the validity of their work and the time to find any weak points prior to the first GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at the end of the month. SRRT had plenty to validate, because the team had put together a new #35 WRX STI during the winter -- this one a Sedan.

The team discovered engine problems during the first of the six on-track sessions to be held Friday through Sunday (two per day) on the newly paved Daytona track. Friday afternoon saw the team exchanging engines. They did it so quickly that the car was nearly ready for the second test session Friday afternoon.

Sessions were positive Saturday and Sunday.

Because the weather in Daytona was so nice and warm compared to the frigid winter that we've been having at home in Wisconsin, I took advantage of one of the wonderful assets that Daytona Beach has to offer -- the beach. Every time I visit Daytona, I drive on the beach.

Temperatures were in the 70s Saturday afternoon, and I took DP WRX to the beach to take a few photos. People stopped to talk about the car and ask about the magazine. I handed out a quite a few of them.

One woman held me in conversation for quite a while; she pointed out how unusually flat the beach was that day. She's been living in Daytona since 1935, and she loves to take a drive on the beach as often as possible.

A group of Mazda enthusiasts stopped to talk, too. They were out for a group ride and broke away from the main group to drive on the beach. We talked about cars, making modifications, hanging out in groups, and the testing at Daytona International Speedway (they had been there, too). I told them to swing their cars around for a group shot with DP WRX, and one of them buried his Miata deep into the sand. We joked about the WRX not having any trouble with the sand, especially with the BLIZZAK snow tires on it. With the help of a couple who was hunting for treasure with a metal detector and a small spade and from a group of people in an older VW Beetle, the Miata was freed -- just in time to have to leave the beach at sunset.

LEG TWO

Travel dates: January 10-12, 2011

Purpose: To attend meetings at Subaru of America, Inc. in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and then join 48HRS of Tristate charity drive

Start/Finish: Daytona Beach, Florida/Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Distance:

According to mapping services -- 951.7 miles point to point

Actual (with a side trip to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, to visit the shops of Subaru partner Phoenix Performance) -- 1,016 miles

Major routes from Daytona International Speedway to Subaru of America headquarters in Cherry Hill, New Jersey:

I encountered the worst weather of the trip as I traveled from Florida to Virginia the first day. An unusual snowstorm dumped several inches on top of a thick layer of ice. Interstate 95 suffered from accumulations of snow that induced quite a few accidents.

But the drive showed how well the BLIZZAK tires mounted on DP WRX handled packed snow and ice.

This reminded me of the trip from Cherry Hill to Daytona a couple of years ago, when I had to drive through a snow storm in the Carolinas. The people in that part of the country won't want me to come back!

On January 11, I spent a couple hours at the Phoenix Performance shops in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The team is always hospitable, and Phoenix Performance & Auto Center General Manager Kurt Omensetter showed me what has changed since I last visited a couple years ago. Lifts and an alignment platform have been added, along with additional equipment. Engine building and fabrication facilities are now housed on the first floor of the shops.

Phoenix Performance built SRRT's new #35 WRX STI Sedan, which I had just photographed in Daytona. (There will be a story about the preparation for the 2011 season in the next issue of Drive Performance, which will go live on this website and be mailed mid-March.)

LEG THREE

Travel dates: January 13-15, 2011

Purpose: To travel with the 48HRS of Tristate charity drive

Start/Finish: Cherry Hill, New Jersey/Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Distance:

According to mapping services -- 1,279 miles round trip

Actual (with side trips) -- 1,372 miles

Major routes from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to Lafayette, Indiana, to Cincinnati, Ohio, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio: Interstates 76, 70

Indiana: Interstates 70, 94, 65, 74

Illinois: Interstates 94, 294

Wisconsin: Interstate 94

My schedule would only allow me to join 48HRS for the first two days (of four!) this year. I've enjoyed these charity drives for three years now, and they never grow old.

This year's journey was different from those in the past. Instead of concentrating on New England and eastern states, the itinerary took the participants from Subaru headquarters in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to Lafayette, Indiana, the first day. After a tour of the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant (where Legacy, Outback, and Tribeca models are made) in Lafayette, we started back east to Cincinnati, where we visited TurninConcepts for dinner.

The next day, the group took off to New York. I parted with the group to head back home to Wisconsin. Find more about the drive on the 48HRS of Tristate website and in the next issue of Drive Performance.

Miles for Legs One through Three: 3,736

Fuel consumption: 148.5 gallons

Mileage: 25.2 mpg

Next trip for DP WRX: From Wisconsin to the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, which is held near Salem, Missouri -- February 25-26, 2011

November 30, 2010

I first saw the red #35 WRX STI at the Miami-Homestead track for the GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge in 2009. Subaru Road Racing Team brought it along to gauge reaction to it. At that time, the team was fielding the #111 Legacy 2.5GT in ST class. I remember being excited that the car was red, and I recall hearing the exhaust note as it was passing through the paddock. I was crossing the roof of one of the paddock buildings at the time.

Next, #35 competed in a World Challenge event at Sebring. That gave me a chance to see and photograph the car at a venue I had never visited before. The World Challenge race was a support event for the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. The bright red car stood out among the other entries, especially at the standing starts. It rifled past the front-wheel drive cars into contention. The team experienced the same enthralling start at the World Challenge event at New Jersey Motorsports Park later in the year.

Subaru Road Racing Team tested #35 (with #111 on its side) at VIRginia International Raceway at the end of the 2009 KONI Sports Car Challenge season. The team timed the car within a couple of seconds of the fastest GS entry that weekend. The red car only ran on the practice day.

Then, at Daytona International Speedway for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in January 2010, #35 debuted as a full contender in the GS class. You can follow its progress throughout the season in this Editor's Track blog.

The team's season was up and down -- one full of development issues. These included cooling, turbocharger, brakes, and center differential. Unfortunately, rain didn't help the team at all.

As with most competitively driven race cars, #35 had its share of banged-up sheet metal, broken parts, engine difficulties, and off-track excursions. The most dramatic was at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama, where another car turned #35 (Andrew Aquilante driving) sideways entering a right-hand turn at the top of a hill. #35 bounced sideways through the grass, with onlookers expecting it to roll. But it didn't. It kept on going, although at a loss of a few positions.

The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS class is always hotly contested. SRRT's #35 earned respect throughout the year, paving the way for its descendant -- the new #35 WRX STI Sedan.

Testing it with the GRAND-AM series at Homestead-Miami Speedway takes place this week. Watch for its debut in the first GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Daytona International Speedway at the end of January 2011!